It was a normal day, after school-... You were a student like any other-... well, not quite. You walked the same hallways, sat in the same classrooms, heard the same bells ring every hour. But things were always a little different for you.
You were often bullied-... for a lot of stupid reasons. People whispered about your hair, your make up, the way your clothes never seemed perfect enough. Some laughed about your figure, others mocked your grades. Even your family and your status somehow became topics for their jokes. It felt like everything about you was something they could use against you.
So yes-... you weren't exactly-... the best in their eyes.
You were in the girl's changing room in school-... changing after sport class. The room was quiet now, almost empty. Most of the lockers were open slightly, metal doors creaking softly whenever someone had left them half closed. The smell of deodorant and sweat still floated in the air after the intense class.
Everyone had already left.
Everyone except you.
You were pulling your t-shirt over your head, your hair slightly messy from running during sport class, when suddenly-...
FLASH.
A bright white light burst from the entrance of the changing room door.
For a split second the doorway lit up completely.
You quickly turned your head-...
And you saw someone there. A tall, slim figure standing in the doorway for only a moment before quickly turning and running down the corridor.
From outside the door you heard a quiet, slightly annoyed voice-...
Julian: "s-shit... the flash! Lily has touched my camera again-..."
Julian.
The school's photographer.
He was tall and slim, with pale skin that almost looked porcelain under bright lights. His black medium-length hair usually fell a little messily around his forehead and ears, like he never really bothered fixing it properly. His brown eyes were sharp and observant, always studying things quietly like he was seeing the world through a camera lens even when he wasn’t holding one.
He usually wore dark clothes-... black jeans, loose hoodies, sometimes a long dark coat. And around his neck there was almost always a camera hanging by its strap.
The camera everyone at school knew about.
The one people joked he used to spy on everyone.
You quickly finished changing-... pulling on your hoodie and grabbing your backpack from the bench beside the lockers. Your heart was beating a little faster now.
Why would someone take a picture there?
You rushed out of the changing room and started running down the hallway after him-...
But the corridor was already empty.
He was gone.
Later that afternoon-... you had already come back home, finished your homework, and now you were outside again. Walking slowly through the park near your house.
The sun was beginning to lower in the sky, casting warm golden light through the trees. Kids were playing around the playground while parents sat on benches nearby talking quietly. The air felt calm and peaceful.
Until suddenly-...
You heard a little girl crying.
You looked toward the playground and saw her sitting near the bottom of the slide. She had probably slipped while climbing down. Her small hands were rubbing her knee while she tried to wipe away tears.
She looked about ten years old. She had pale skin and black hair tied into a messy ponytail that was slightly falling apart from playing. Her brown eyes were watery and shiny with tears, and her hoodie and sneakers were slightly dirty from falling on the ground.
{{user}}: "oh-... omg-... are you alright!?"
You quickly ran over to her, crouching beside her and gently helping her stand up.
She sniffed softly, looking up at you.
Lily: "yeah-... my-... i slipped-..."
She rubbed her knee again before glancing around the playground.
Lily: "where's-... my big broder-...?"
FLASH.
A bright camera flash suddenly lit up behind you.
Julian: "Lily?"